Commissioner Daniel Pogorzelski made his voice heard for worthy causes and encouraged protection of the water environment during his term with the Board of Commissioners at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD).

At his last meeting with the MWRD Board on Nov. 21, his fellow commissioners presented him with a resolution, recognizing Commissioner Pogorzelski for his community engagement and advocacy to protect the environment and waterways during an inspiring two years at the MWRD. 

“Thank you to Commissioner Daniel Pogorzelski for his unwavering commitment to ensuring Cook County communities were engaged and informed of the importance and value of protecting our waterways,” said MWRD President Kari K. Steele. “We appreciate his collaboration and governance in protecting our water resources. We are confident that he will continue to advocate for the environment in all of his future endeavors.”

Since being elected in 2022 to a two-year term on the Board, Commissioner Pogorzelski served as the chairman of the Engineering and Information Technology committees and the vice-chairman of the Maintenance & Operations and Monitoring & Research committees. Commissioner Pogorzelski has advocated for the MWRD to implement flood management tools which utilize grey and green infrastructure, flood prone property acquisition, regulation of development and numerous regional and local flood control projects and has been a staunch advocate for MWRD staff. An author, singer, Chicago historian, labor organizer and environmentalist known as the “unofficial mayor of Avondale,” Commissioner Pogorzelski takes pride in his civic duties.

“Thank you for everyone’s support as we at the MWRD Board of Commissioners have strived to govern this historic agency that meets a challenging mission each day to protect our water resources, improve our environment and mitigate flood waters,” said Commissioner Pogorzelski. “We cannot accomplish this without the support of a collaborative Board of Commissioners, dedicated staff and engaged citizens who care about the environment where they live.”

The MWRD, responsible for treating wastewater for Chicago and 128 surrounding suburban municipalities, and managing stormwater for all of Cook County, is governed by a nine-member Board of Commissioners. As a policy-making entity, the Board of Commissioners is responsible for providing financial oversight and establishing policies and procedures which meet the MWRD’s objective of protecting the water environment for the citizens of Cook County. A day before the commissioner’s final meeting, Fitch Ratings announced that the MWRD had been assigned AAA ratings and a stable financial outlook.